Stars
by Warriors222
Summary: Several cats of the Clans live their lives out normally... until one event changes their lives forever.  Written by Leapy, edited by Georgia.
1. Prologue

_**PROLOGUE**_

_A huge black-and-white tomcat_

stood over a whimpering golden tabby she-cat. The she-cat seemed so small and weak at that moment that she looked like a kit. Meanwhile, the tom had his claws unsheathed right over the tabby's neck, ready to kill.

After MoonClan, the Clan that the she-cat was from, had lost their now former leader Sparrowstar, Icestar, this she-cat, had taken over the leadership. Icestar had eight of her lives still yet she looked like a dying elder.

Currently MoonClan was in a battle with rogues, ever since they came to invade the Clans and try to kill all their wariors. EagleClan was already taken down; now StormClan was next after MoonClan was defeated, at least in the rogues' opinions.

There were only four of the rogues, but each one was vicious. Their names were Marty, the black-and-white tom about to kill Icestar, Cody, Lucy, and George.

Icestar wriggled in Marty's tight grip and strained to see where her deputy Ivyfrost was.

The long-haired white she-cat was struggling under yet another black-and-white figure. For a moment the MoonClan leader thought that Marty had moved on from her and she was already dying. But then she realized that Ivyfrost was being attacked by Cody, who had one brown ear. The evil tom flicked a brown ear as Icestar realized this.

"Say good-bye to your Clan," Marty snarled in Icestar's face, the only expression on his face a smirky grin. Marty, who was the leader of the rogues, was in a bad mood from losing against EagleClan, so ever since he heard of the other two Clans, the horrible tom had plotted to kill the rest of the Clan cats so EagleClan was left on their own. That'll show them!

"No!" Icestar cried, but it was too late. She watched as her deputy was cruelly slaughtered by Cody. But then suddenly everything started to fade…then everything was black.

The MoonClan leader was dying.

Seven lives, six lives, five lives, four lives, three lives, two lives…each time Icestar opened her eyes again, Marty dug his claws into her neck, killing her yet again. By the time that Icestar was fully dead, Marty's claws were sticky with blood and full of golden tabby fur.

As for Icestar, well, she was off to StarClan now. So much blood had been spilled from her tiny body that all of her pelt was stained scarlet, and her quick-drying blood was already making her fur stiff. Now that her fur was completely red, it looked as if that had been Icestar's original pelt color.

She was…dead.

The sound of sixteen paws trampling over the bloody battlefield pounded in Goldenfeather's ears as she sat, panting, in a puddle of her own blood. The she-cat's long golden fur was drenched with rain and spattered with blood. Her fur was spiked up and quickly drying, though now that it was raining, it was starting to wash off the blood and become wet again.

The she-cat couldn't believe what had happened.

Her usually bushy and happy tail was down and quickly soaking up the rainwater and blood, not repelling it away, not streaming off her pelt like it was for the warrior Ashfoot.

Goldenfeather hated having her fur wet.

Her gaze scanned the clearing. Her Clan was ruined! Bodies lay everywhere, and each time she recognized yet another beloved fallen warrior grief pierced her heart. But then her pale green eyes rested on two more familiar bodies of she-cats. She gasped. Icestar and Ivyfrost, the leader and deputy!

Goldenfeather rushed over. It was hard for her to look at the two she-cats' drenched bodies, drenched with blood and rain. Another cat padded up to her, and Goldenfeather turned. It was Lightshade, a nice fellow warrior of hers.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" he murmured, suddenly burying his muzzle into her long, soaked fur.

"Er, yes, it is," Goldenfeather replied, staring at the white tom for a moment. _Why is he…doing that? I already have a mate!_She wondered to herself.

Just then a gray tom began to push himself through the crowd until he came to Goldenfeather and Lightshade. "Can you two please help me carry Icestar and Ivyfrost's bodies?" Goldenfeather and Lightshade nodded, avoiding disobeying the senior warrior.

Yet Lightshade then cracked a grin and chuckled, "Are you sure? It might hurt my paw even more." The three cats turned and looked down to glance at the white warrior's front left paw, which was twisted slightly.

But Ashfoot was serious. "Do you want me to find another cat?" He narrowed his icy blue eyes to thin slits. "Oh, no, Ashfoot, I'm fine."

Goldenfeather snorted then helped Lightshade lift Icestar's body onto Ashfoot's back. Another warrior, Cloudflower, supported Icestar's head, which hung off of the gray tom's back awkwardly, as if she were a dead piece of fresh-kill. Cloudflower, a white she-cat, muttered under her breath, "I knew that one of 'em should have stayed back,"

Goldenfeather suspected that she meant Icestar and Ivyfrost. She then lifted Ivyfrost onto Lightshade's back, who commenced to limp back to camp. Goldenfeather felt so sad to see the deputy, or, _former_deputy, so limp. She held up the dead she-cat's dangling head, having a hard time keeping up with Lightshade's surprisingly fast speed. She hoped that he wasn't being too hard on his foot.

Thanking StarClan that her mate, Pineclaw, wasn't in the battle, before she knew it they were already back in camp. The two warriors that had stayed back and the queens, kits, and elders gasped as their bloody, wet Clanmates limped into camp. Pineclaw was luckily one of the two warriors who had stayed back, along with Snowleaf. He rushed over to Goldenfeather, who continued to support Ivyfrost's head until Lightshade proclaimed that he didn't need any more help.

"Are you okay?" Pineclaw cried, quickly licking down Goldenfeather's pelt, cleaning of any more excess blood.

Goldenfeather purred at her mate's nervousness. "Yes, I'm fine," She then turned to Icestar and Ivyfrost, who were being lowered down to the ground in the middle of the MoonClan clearing. "But I'm afraid that not every other cat is."

Pineclaw bit his lip and slowly walked over to the bodies of his former leader and deputy, staring with unmoving light green eyes. Goldenfeather walked up beside him.

"I know, it's horrible."

Pineclaw continued to stare in disbelief. "How can it be?" Icestar had _eight_lives left…"

All Goldenfeather could do was just shake her head. "I know, I know…"


	2. New Life

_Note from the Publisher: Written by Leapy, here is the first chapter of the first Warriors222 fanfiction!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>CHAPTER 1: New Life<strong>_

"_Now, Shadepaw, try again. You almost _

got it that time." Starkpelt licked some white fur delicately then stopped to watch his apprentice. He sighed. Shadepaw growled in annoyance, his tiny little body shaking in frustration.

"I don't think I'll ever get it," the black-and-white apprentice continued to growl, lashing his tail.

A cat approached the pair, and Starkpelt felt soft fur brush his shoulder through his thin fur. He looked up to see Rainflower, the deputy Birdsong's sister. The fluffy white she-cat purred. "Now, now, don't worry Shadepaw. I'm sure you'll get the hunting crouch soon!"

The tiny tom rolled his eyes when Rainflower wasn't looking. "But my sisters have perfected it already! Just look at them, trying to be better then me!"

Starkpelt and Rainflower turned and watched Gempaw and Redpaw, Shadepaw's _younger _sisters, giggle as they pounced on Redpaw's mentor Midnightheart as if he were a large piece of prey.

"Come on, Shadepaw, they're your _younger _sisters! Show them who's boss!" Starkpelt hissed encouragingly in his apprentice's ear. He felt Shadepaw's muscles tighten as the black-and-white tom prepared to jump.

"StormClan to the rescue!" Shadepaw cried as he leaped onto Gempaw, who squealed and writhed under her brother's grip. "Get off of me, Shadepaw! You're so annoying!" the tortoiseshell apprentice cried as she escaped his grip and crawled over to stand beside her sister, who was growling protectively for her littermate.

"Tsk, tsk," Midnightheart murmured, shaking his head. "You ruined our game of hunt-and-catch." But Starkpelt saw a glint in the black warrior's icy blue eyes that told him he didn't mean it.

The three mentors exchanged a quick glance, then Starkpelt said aloud, "We're going back to camp now. Today's training session is officially over." He flicked his tail to confirm it, then bounded ahead of Rainflower and Midnightheart, ready to curl up in his nest and fall asleep.

The next morning, the StormClan camp was full of cats everywhere Starkpelt looked. What was all the commotion for?

He padded over to the closest cat he could find, which was Vixenleap. "What's going on?" he demanded, staring at the dark ginger she-cat, who was pacing from the warriors' den to the medicine den.

She stopped for a moment only to say, "Birdsong's kits are coming." Then she started to pace again.

Starkpelt blinked as he took her simple sentence in. _Oh, Birdsong's kits! No wonder for all this madness!_

Birdsong, who was currently giving birth to Blackmask's kits, was the Clan deputy, until she stepped down from her duties temporarily to nurse her kits. Currently Rowanfire had taken her place.

She was very popular among the Clan, of course, since she was the deputy, so every cat had worried about her kits coming.

Since no cat seemed to be paying attention to organizing patrols, he decided to lay down in a large patch of sunlight and rest, watching in amusement as Blackmask tried to get into the nursery.

A few heartbeats passed. The medicine cat, Icefrost, must have told Vixenleap, who was nearby, the news because she yowled to get every cat's attention. Starkpelt stopped licking his paws and glanced up at the she-warrior.

"A tom arrived first. He is a long-furred, dark cream tom with a brown face, ears, and tail. Then a she-kit came next and that is all. The she-kit had long fur as well, and she looks like her mother: a gray-and-white tabby. Neither have opened their eyes or ears yet and both still remain unnamed."

Starkpelt clawed at the ground, the suspense of their names killing him. Before he knew what he was doing, the gray-and-white warrior padded over to his sister's den, which was a large hollow pine tree.

"Skystar?" he meowed in question, peeking through the woven marsh grasses that hung in front of the den entrance.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he made out a tortoiseshell pelt that was ruffled and patched with dirty, walked-on snow-white. But another cat was with her…Rowanfire, Starkpelt realized after he noticed a ginger tabby pelt beside Skystar's.

"Yes, Starkpelt?" Skystar's weak and wary voice was quite unusual, especially considering how she still had all nine of her lives. Her tired, seldom bright, mossy green eyes met his pale blue gaze, and Starkpelt sighed. Feeling Rowanfire's burning green eyes going straight through his delicate white pelt made him want to shiver, buthe resisted it.

"Oh, I was just wondering if I…could perhaps mentor the she-kit in Birdsong and Blackmask's litter," he said, hoping that she had heard the news too.

Skystar chuckled, but in an odd way, as if she were nervous. "Oh, Starkpelt, you know that StormClan has many more warriors that still haven't had an apprentice yet," her eyes glinted as she stared at her brother; not too long ago was she Skyfrost, before that Skypaw, then Skykit, from back when they were kits. Skykit and Starkkit…Starkpelt wondered in Birdsong's kits would behave at all like he and his sister did when they were young.

But that was back in the times of RockClan, before RockClan became StormClan, before the Clans traveled to their new territory. MoonClan used to be IceClan, and EagleClan used to be CloudClan. There was also another tiny Clan called GrassClan that was so small that they really didn't deserve a new Clan name and all, so they just merged in with the other new Clans. But that was another story.

"So…basically no?" Starkpelt asked, frowning as Rowanfire growled and Skystar nodded. His paws burned as he turned and padded out of the den. The warrior's throat felt too dry to ask Skystar and Rowanfire what was wrong. Backing out of the den, he trotted over to Vixenleap. "Have the kits been named yet?" he asked, and Vixenleap nodded nonchalantly.

"Yes. The she-kit is Jaykit and the tom-kit is Stormkit."

_Stormkit? _

Starkpelt thought, raising his eyebrows. _Named after the Clan, eh? _

"May I see them?" he asked, shuffling his paws and glancing at the ground. Vixenleap's gaze burned into pelt. "That would be a question for Icefrost or Kestrelpaw. They'd know."

"Thanks," Starkpelt replied, nodding to the pretty she-cat. He then looked around for the silver-gray pelt of Icefrost or the calico pelt of Kestrelpaw's. He found Kestrelpaw first, so he pushed through the crowd to her.

"Hey, Kestrelpaw, is it okay if I can see the new kits?" Starkpelt asked the medicine cat apprentice. He knew that he wasn't kin to Jaykit and Stormkit, but he was related to the Clan leader, and Birdsong was Skystar's deputy.

"Ask Icefrost," Kestrelpaw mumbled, her eyes focused on the elder Wetnose, who was grumbling and snuffling angrily as she treated his cold. "How did Icefrost teach you?" the dark brown elder demanded, flicking his tail and slowly lifting up his black nose. "She was my apprentice, you know, and so far you haven't done anything that I remember teaching her!"

Kestrelpaw stopped for a moment and sighed. "I only just became her apprentice, so calm down! If you want to complain, go do it to Flowerberry and Weaselnose. Or better yet, Icefrost herself!"

After getting permission from Icefrost, Starkpelt quietly padded into the nursery. The other queens, Mossdew, Butterflyswirl, and Cinderleaf, gently drew their kits back with their tails.

Blackmask was standing proudly over Birdsong and his kits, gazing down at his son and daughter with love in his hardened bright green eyes.

"Wow, they're beautiful," Starkpelt murmured. The tom, Stormkit, was already showing his strength by gently shoving his sister Jaykit out of the way to get more of his mother's milk.

Birdsong looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Starkpelt. I appreciate your caring." Blackmask just nodded at him with a grin, his gaze still trained on his kits.

Sighing gently at the sight of the percious new Clan members, Starkpelt slowly backed out of the den, only to run into his apprentice.

"Can we train now?" demanded Shadepaw.


	3. Medicine

_**Chapter 2: Medicine**_

"_Tansy, watermint, horsetail…I'll tell Skypaw we need more of that. Let's see…" _

Hawkblaze, the EagleClan medicine cat, was muttering under his breath as he sorted through his herbs. Ever since his Clan was attacked by the rogues, his herb supply had come down due to them being used up for all of the injured warriors' wounds.

There were three cats that had the worst of the worst wounds: Turquoisewarrior, who had been attacked by a fox and had battle wounds still trying to heal as well; Nettlestorm; and Wolfclaw, who was constantly being bothered by his kits, Leafkit, Bushkit, and Blackkit.

Today the three kits tumbled into the medicine den to see their father. "Wolfclaw!" Leafkit squealed, jumping onto the gray warrior, her duck down-soft pelt almost blending in with his.

"Oh, kits…" Wolfclaw muttered, his usually sunny amber eyes dull and liquidy.

Bushkit looked disgusted. "Ick," she squealed, racing out of the den, her siblings on her heels.

Hawkblaze chuckled lightly and padded over to the dark gray warrior. "How are you feeling?"

Wolfclaw muttered something under his breath then replied, "I'm feeling fine, though my shoulder still kind of hurts." he glanced meaningfully over at his torn-up shoulder, which still had dried blood encrusted around the edge of the wound.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine soon." Hawkblaze flicked his tail, examined the cut once more carefully (it looked free of any infections) then the brown tabby medicine cat tiptoed over to Nettlestorm, who was groaning and moaning in her sleep, twisting and turning every so often. Just a few sunrises ago, her belly was ripped open by Lucy the she-rogue and her chance of survival was low, but thanks to Hawkblaze and Skypaw's help, she was getting better slowly.

Nettlestorm was almost always energetic, but since she got wounded by Lucy she was grumpy and had a major attitude with her Clanmates.

Hawkblaze didn't want to wake the she-warrior up, so he waited patiently until she rolled over onto her back for him to examine her belly cuts. Just like Wolfclaw's wound, it was encrusted with dried dark red blood. The tabby tom tried not to remember what her belly looked like when it was ripped open not so long ago. He and Skypaw had worked hard to treat it. He didn't want to touch Nettlestorm at all or bother her in any way, though he noticed that a part of the wound near her chest was coming open again. He winced as he caught the sight of a drop of blood squirting out.

_A medicine cat's gotta do what a medicine cat's gotta do, _he thought to himself, and reluctantly snatched a cobweb from his herb store and slapped it on top of the newly opened deep scratch so he made sure that it stayed on there okay and didn't slide off.

Sure enough, jumpy Nettlestorm woke up in a flash and hissed, glancing down at the cobwebs over the bloody mess, her yellow orbs dull and milky with fever.

_Now fever too?_

Hawkblaze thought in protest, quite tired himself. _I'll treat that later. Doesn't seem too bad…yet, that is._ He sighed and murmured an apology to Nettlestorm, who grumpily replied back and fell asleep again quickly enough. Hawkblaze was glad to see that the cobwebs worked well and they had soaked up most of the blood, which had stopped coming out of the scratch. _At least it's not infected,_Hawkblaze thought in relief.

Nettlestorm continued to stay on her back, which also looked good. _She knows well._

_I just have to check on Turquoisewarrior and then I can stretch my legs around the camp…_

Hawkblaze shuffled over to Turquoisewarrior. The silver-gray warrior had older wounds from the fox, and then the newer wounds from the rogues. Just after Hawkblaze had treated Turquoisewarrior's sudden wounds from the fox, he had let him go back to the warriors' den.

_Bad decision,_

Hawkblaze thought as he gently rubbed a fresh new poultice on Turquoisewarrior's injuries. Suddenly the brown tabby medicine cat flashed back to the beginning of the battle.

_It was instinct for Turquoisewarrior to rush out of the den, or limp out of the warriors' den upon hearing hissing, spitting cats, yowl split through the air in an echo, and the tangy smell of blood._

_Hawkblaze had been watching this out of the corner of his eye as he looked around wildly at the fighting cats. He had forgotten about Turquoisewarrior's injuries, especially since they were on the tomcat's other flank, which was facing the other side._

_Leaping out from his spot, Turquoisewarrior cringed in pain at his wounds, which were already irritated from being stretched out. Moving his sleek and agile body through the cats, he already had a few cuts and nicks by the time he reached Lightstorm and George snarling and spitting at each other. Each cat had already given the other one a nasty blow, and Lightstorm was clearly losing the fight._

_Growling, Turquoisewarrior crept up on the rogue, sheathing and unsheathing his claws. Each time he unsheathed them, the thorn-sharp tips made tiny dents in the dusty, blood-soaked earth._

_Then suddenly he barreled into George, knocking the ginger-and-white cat off his paws. "Stay away from her!" Turquoisewarrior snarled in George's face._

_Snorting as if he were weak, which would never happen, in his opinion, of course, George easily pinned the silver tabby down, freshly-sharpened claw just swipes away from killing Turquoisewarrior._

_George tightened his grip and soon was strangling the warrior. Lightstorm, who was watching all of this in awe, was about to help her Clanmate when the rogue leader Marty started clawing at her apprentice Cloudypaw._

"_Stay away from her!" Lightstorm repeated Turquoisewarrior's words originally to George as she rushed over to the pair of black-and-scarlet (with blood) cats. She was bleeding quite heavily herself, but was determined to continue on fighting for her Clan._

_How loyal she was…and still is._

Hawkblaze thought, coming back to the present. He was getting ready to pad out of his den. _Good thing her wounds healed quickly enough._

After Lightstorm abandoned him all Turquoisewarrior had left in his sight was a tiny pinpoint of light. There were countless wounds on his pelt, indented into his skin, sure to leave quite a few scars.

Soon the battle was over, and Hawkblaze went back to the present, not wanting to think about that horrible day anymore.

He sighed and padded out of the den. "What a day!" he murmured, glancing around the camp.

The Clan leader and deputy, Thunderstar and Oceanripple, were sharing tongues. _Probably talking about the rogue attack,_Hawkblaze realized. _Perhaps I should be with them._Hawkblaze's curiosity got the better of him and he trotted over to Thunderstar and Oceanripple, snatching a rabbit from the Kill Pile on his way since the leader and deputy were nearby.

"Hey, what's up?" the medicine cat asked casually as he came up to them. He plopped down onto the dried prickly grass below them next to Oceanripple and grinned.

Thunderstar stared at him curiously. "Nothing much," he reported after a few moments. Exchanging a knowing glance with his deputy, he added, "Though Oceanripple and I were just talking about the rogue attack."

_Thought so, _Hawkblaze thought as he chewed through the tough meat, his sharp fangs easily ripping through the soft flesh of the fresh-kill. "I see," he murmured, not knowing much of what else to say.

Oceanripple, a handsome, towering tom he was, with broad shoulders and an amazing gray tabby pelt that looked blue. He had beautiful green eyes that reminded you of the ocean itself every time you looked deep into them. But also, if you looked into his narrowed pupils and perfectly colored irises, you would not only find something elegant, but something sorrowful as well.

The deputy's mate had been Leapingstar, the leader before Thunderstar. She was killed by a rogue, Mink.

Hawkblaze growled and clawed at the ground as he thought back again.

He had tried everything he could to save her, everything his mentor Mintleaf taught him for her condition, but nothing worked. For a quite an amount of time after that he and Oceanripple had a little bit of cold air between them, but soon they were fine with each other.

Yet, still each time Hawkblaze locked gazes with the deputy he felt an icy chill run down his spine, and this is what happened to him at that moment.

"What's the problem, Hawkblaze?" Thunderstar asked quizzically, his more warm green eyes confused.

"Oh, nothing!" Hawkblaze replied instantly, sitting up so he could quickly wash his face. "Is there anything else you need to tell me before I go check on the warriors?" The tabby drew a wet paw over one set of whiskers.

Thunderstar thought for a moment then shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I wish you luck on treating the cats, Hawkblaze."

Oceanripple nodded his agreement and Hawkblaze dipped his head to be polite to the two high-positioned cats before setting off toward the warriors' den, ears flattened and tail down.

In there he would have to deal with grumpy Deathwish, worrisome Moonshimmer, then annoying Skyflame, pouting Silversong, and talkative Foxwing!


	4. The Three

**Chapter 3: The Three**

A pretty she-medicine cat was peering into a smooth stone, streaked with browns of mud and greens of grass, though it was mostly gray. "Well, Mintleaf? Do you think it should be those three?"

The she-cat's mottled tortoiseshell-and-white pelt stood on end, and her claws scratched at the stone. Her gaze turned and focused on the cat who had asked her: Beechpaw.

Beechpaw was a small, stocky brown tabby tomcat with amber eyes. He was killed by Tigerstar's spirit, and because of that he was often spiteful, short-tempered, and stubborn. Each time you looked deep into his eyes, the only things you'd find would be sorrow and sadness. Just before his death, Beechpaw had an argument with his mentor, and was still quiet aggressive with many cats. His death started Tigerstar's Revenge, which scarred the Clans forever.

He usually tried to be wise, and mostly it worked and seldom didn't. This time it seemed well. In fact, when Mintleaf first heard his voice it sounded like a full-grown tom speaking to her, but it wasn't.

Just Beechpaw. He was once from CloudClan, the cats that now make EagleClan. Same Clan as Mintleaf, so they got along most of the time.

His pads, hardened over the seasons of living in the dusty old territories of StarClan, and claws, caked with earth, made a small slacking noise on the ground as he trudged over to Mintleaf and the stone.

The Nature Stone, she called it. She had learned once she joined StarClan's ranks that she could choose three cats to watch over, along with the cats that certain warrior was close to. Out of her three, she decided on one cat, Hawkblaze, who she could look over along with Skypaw. She could give him tips on training in case he ever had a stubborn apprentice. Not only this, but she had also been his mentor.

She also chose Thunderstar, who she could watch over talking with Oceanripple. She could come to him in dreams and tell him things that would come to him and EagleClan. It was Mintleaf who warned Thunderstar of the rogues coming.

The last cat Mintleaf watched over was the elder Sunfire, who was still fiery and sunny for her elderly age. She chose an elder because they were often wise and most likely one of the next few cats to die. Though it was clear that Sunfire wouldn't die for a while more since she was free of any health problems since being a young apprentice. Sunfire was also more enjoyable to look after than any of the other elders since she liked to have fun.

The three colors on the Nature Stone-green, brown, and gray-indicated the cat Mintleaf wanted to see. Of course, though, none of the three would have any idea that she was watching them unless she told them.

And none of them knew yet.

If Mintleaf tapped on a thick green streak, it not only represented grass but also her seeing Hawkblaze. Maybe it was because he was a medicine cat, and the majority of herbs were green. Mintleaf had assigned the colors, and she never told any cat what they really were, so no one knew.

Mud was brown, and also when Mintleaf engraved a few claw marks in a thickened patch, she'd look into the stone to find Thunderstar. Who knew why he had brown?

Then last but not least there was gray, in which there was the most of. Obviously, whenever she touched the stone or went to it with a tuft of fur poking it, the stone would focus on Sunfire. Perhaps the reason Sunfire had gray was because there was the most of it, and Sunfire was the eldest.

Yet no cat knew.

After a long pause of all these thoughts, Mintleaf, with a sigh, replied to Beechpaw. "Well, young warrior, I'm sure I have no other choice. Though Goldenfeather has a mate, and you know what happens between a tom and she-cat after a while of being together…" she trailed off, wishing that she, too, could have loved a tom once. Or perhaps she did. Turning to Beechpaw, she meowed, "But I can trust my apprentice…and that StormClan tom seems fine. I say yes!"

Her Catmint-scented pelt wafted into Beechpaw's nose, and he grinned. "Great, Mintleaf! That's great. I'll tell Autumnstar and Lionstar right away!" The small tom whisked away.

After he left, Mintleaf pawed at at a streak of green and looked down on Hawkblaze…

Hawkblaze trotted into the warriors' den, eyes scanning the cats inside. Sure enough, there were the five warriors he had been thinking about earlier.

Deathwish had two torn, infected ears and was constantly grumpy about it. Moonshimmer was worrying over her scarred, cut belly. The rogues had been trying to kill her, clearly. Skyflame, who got up to see his and Crystalwater's kits every once in a while, who was making a big fuss over his kits thinking he was weak, made his ripped-up tail worse every time he got up and walked to the nursery. This was quite annoying.

Silversong was pouting over her wounds with the newcomer, Stephen, a former kittypet. Hawkblaze could tell the two were in love. It couldn't be more obvious than a rotten mouse on the fresh-kill pile.

The tomcat's pelt was smooth and sleek, free of any scars, showing that he was definitely a kittypet, or used to be one. Stephen had come after the battle, so he didn't earn any injuries to prove he fought too. The tom was still plump, full of the kittypet slop his Twolegs fed him.

Then there was Foxwing, who was nervously playing with a few strands of his ginger fur, wincing at his clawed and scratched flanks every time he moved. After a couple heartbeats he glanced at Moonshimmer out of the corner of his eye. Hm, strange, Hawkblaze thought to himself, setting down the herbs he had quickly grabbed from the medicine den, without any greeting whatsoever from any of the warriors. Usually he's talkative. Guess I didn't have to worry… The medicine cat mused, pawing through the leaves until he found some Alder bark.

Chewing it up into a poultice, Hawkblaze padded over to Deathwish and grinned. "How are those wounds getting along?" he murmured to the slick warrior, rubbing the chewed-up leaves on the edges of Deathwish's torn ears. His slippery pad traced the outlines of the cuts, which were in the shape of sharp, thick claws…the rogues had left their mark on his ears. The medicine cat didn't really need an answer from the black tom, as he could tell Deathwish's condition himself: the ears must have hurt, were encrusted with dried blood, and were still a little bit infected.

Though it really was his patient that could tell him his condition.

"Hmm?" Hawkblaze asked, gently nudging the warrior. Apparently he had been half-asleep or something, because as soon as Deathwish opened his eerie yellow eyes dotted with green streaks, they were glazed over with tiredness.

Hawkblaze had always been a bit nervous whenever he saw that tomcat. He seemed slightly evil to him, and perhaps the medicine cat was correct. After all, he knew that Deathwish's parents abandoned him as a kit. What type of cruel mother would name her poor little son Death or Deathkit anyway? Perhaps that was how Deathwish got his figure of being slightly mean! Maybe he's an ancestor of Tigerstar? Hawkblaze thought, but then realized that he was getting off track.

"So?" he asked the tom impatiently. Deathwish now snapped awake. "Um, I dunno."

Hawkblaze heard snickers coming from the other side of the den. He turned and glared at Foxwing. The ginger warrior instantly went back to playing with his fur and staring at Moonshimmer.

"Please, just rest. I'm sorry I woke you from your slumber." Gently, Hawkblaze nudged Deathwish's head back onto the softest, thickest part of his nest and moved on to Moonshimmer, picking up his herbs on the way.

"How're you doing, Moonshimmer?" he asked the she-cat. She turned up to him warily. "I'm fine, but…won't this belly wound kill me?" Sure enough, she was fretting over her injuries again, and still didn't appear to see Foxwing looking at her every so often.

"Of course not!" Hawkblaze exclaimed, not bothering to hold back a snort. "Moonshimmer, I'm sure that if this were to kill you, you would have been dead by now." He looked deep into the she-warrior's eyes.

Moonshimmer blinked and her fur, which had just been raised, smoothed down. "Really? I wish you could have told me earlier. I was worrying about nothing!" Yet she still didn't smile.

Probably has something else on her mind,

Hawkblaze figured.

And she did. "But what if it's infected? Then will I die?"

Swiftly, the medicine cat looked her injury over. "No, it's not infected, which answers your second question: no." Hawkblaze then lapped up some herbs into his mouth and chewed them into a well-mixed poultice that was smoother than the nearby creek's clear water.

Hawkblaze felt pressured, as the she-warrior was watching his every move like a, well, hawk.

Once he was finished with her and the other cats, he found his paws carrying him back to his den.

Skypaw was there of course, her pretty yet intense blue eyes scanning over the herb store, the green lifesavers reflecting in her gaze.

She's just as shy as her mother, Emberash.

Hawkblaze thought after a thorough observation of his new apprentice. Not too long ago was she the squirmy, only one kit beside Emberash's belly. Now the black and white queen was still in the nursery, serving as a foster mother to the two abandoned sisters Sugarkit and Mistykit.

Grinning to his apprentice, the medicine cat set down his extra herbs, in which there were only two leaves of, for Skypaw to put away, then padded over to his nest for what he thought would be a simple nap…


	5. Old

**Chapter 4: Old**

_The late midday sun cast its_

glowing orange light on the MoonClan medicine cat Berrycloud, who was mumbling and grumbling about the decision he was about to make.

Sure, it was indeed a hard decision but nothing the old tomcat here couldn't handle.

He was sitting alone in the corner of his den, herbs scattered around his flexing paws. His apprentice, Dancingpaw, was swiftly stashing away the latest, mostly dried-up herbs, murmuring herb names to herself; names of the ones they were low on, which were many.

Ever since the battle with the rogues, tensions were high for MoonClan. It had been a bloody, vicious battle, and Berrycloud wanted to preserve all the herbs he could, though it was hard to because of all the injured warriors laying around camp all day that needed many treatments.

So, anyway, as Berrycloud's tabby-striped tail swished back and forth silently, and the panting Dancingpaw prepared her future statement to her mentor, the medicine cat decided that his decision could be final.

Then Dancingpaw spoke: "Berrycloud, may I please be finished with sorting these herbs for today, please?" She asked hopefully, blue eyes pleading. Shivering in the late leaf-fall breeze, she added, "I'm very tired from spending the day with grumpy old Poisonice." A smile spread over her face like an eagle and its wings.

Berrycloud spun around, a leg bone cracking as he did so. Icy blue eyes flaming, he wondered if his apprentice's statement meant to be an insult. He was old too, just as much as Poisonice was. In fact, Berrycloud even remembered playing with Poisonice when he was a kit. So, he decided to take it as an insult that he was too old.

"You just call me old?" Berrycloud stood up, creamy tabby fur prickling.

Dancingpaw blinked in surprise and confusion. "No, of course not! When did I ever say that?"

"Just now, you little…" Then he took the time to pause and think back to what she said…Berrycloud, may I please be finished with sorting these herbs for today, please? I'm very tired from spending the day with grumpy old Poisonice. And then she had smiled. Surely she had meant something, but as Berrycloud stared at her hopeful face, he gave in.

"Whatever, never mind that." Muttering a few extra things under his breath, the medicine cat knew that it was time. Turning to his apprentice, their two blue gazes met and the same thing was in each pair of icy eyes: Showtime.

Dancingpaw flanking him, Berrycloud limped out of the den, pride by his side.

He was about to announce MoonClan's new leader.

Goldenfeather was among the many cats that had been gathered around their former leader and deputy's bodies for such a long time. I hope my paws don't fall off from not moving for so long! And what about my stiff hindquarters? Shifting her position, the golden she-cat winced.

I sure have been having these nasty bellyaches lately. I hope I'll be okay!

Suddenly odd thoughts began to run through her head, but she tried to push them away.

"No, I can't be!" she whispered, not aware of Pineclaw beside her listening to her murmurs and watching her every move: each time a hair on her pelt flattened or stood up, when her eyes moved around the camp to focus on one cat then another; he was ridiculous!

"You can't be what?" her mate asked gently, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. They were closest to Icestar's body. As she stared into the dead leader's blank eyes, she shivered. Why did this have to happen to us?

"Oh, nothing." Goldenfeather responded quickly with a small jump. She knew he had been watching her carefully!

Glancing to the nursery, Goldenfeather enviously watched the new parents Leapingwind and Ashfoot with their new kits, Icekit, Grasskit, Rockkit, and Cloudkit.

Some cats said that Icekit was named after the dead leader Icestar.

Others said she was named after MoonClan's old Clan name, as were her siblings too.

Goldenfeather believed in the second statement, but of course she couldn't be sure of either one. It was just that the second one made more sense. Maybe it could be both, Goldenfeather mused, still jealous of the happy parents.

She continued to watch, her mood turning into sadness. Actually, my thought from before…about me have those stomachaches…wouldn't be bad if it were true. Maybe it is true.

The she-warrior shivered again, but as it passed over her it wasn't so bad. Just then Twinklingkit, the she-kit Leapingwind had been fostering since before her own kits were born, bounced over to Goldenfeather. She didn't seem to notice the dead bodies before her.

"Her own kits are the only kits she cares about anymore," the kit muttered half to herself, clearly disappointed.

Figuring that Twinklingkit was talking about Leapingwind, Goldenfeather smiled and caught gazes with an odd, twinkling, silver one. "It's just that her kits were only just born a couple sunrises ago," she mewed softly, the way she always talked to any cat in distress. "Soon you'll be by her side, helping Leapingwind look after her kits…how does that sound?" Goldenfeather added uncertainly, hoping that she had helped Twinklingkit lift up her spirits.

Sure enough, the silver-and-white kit smiled. "Really?" she asked, looking dazed as she stumbled off toward Leapingwind and her own kits.

"Ahem!" A raspy voice made Goldenfeather start. Turning to face where the voice had come from, the golden she-cat found Berrycloud with his apprentice Dancingpaw by his side. Berrycloud's fur was fluffed up, as if he were frustrated.

Dancingpaw flexed her unsheathed claws; then, as she dug them into the ground, she yowled out, "Silence!"

All the cats of MoonClan spun to face her and her mentor, eyes widened that an apprentice had said that.

Goldenfeather, Pineclaw, and Lightshade were some of the few cats that had been paying attention before Dancingpaw's outburst.

Satisfied with her accomplishment, Dancingpaw sat down, neatly wrapping her patched tail over her paws. Berrycloud nodded to her with praise in his blue eyes then turned to speak to the rest of the Clan.

"I have chosen the cat that will lead our Clan and choose our new deputy due to the deaths of Icestar and Ivyfrost," he began. The elderly medicine cat's eyes seemed to burn into the pelt of a certain cat, but Goldenfeather's limbs were too stiff to turn and see who it was.

"I'll give you two hints on who it is to keep the suspense going," Berrycloud continued, amusement lighting his icy stare.

"Hint one: it's a she-cat." Instantly all of the toms' shoulders sagged, and Goldenfeather snickered. But then she turned serious as another thought came to her: What if I'm the cat that Berrycloud chose to become leader? Then another thing ran through her head: I can't be. I have a mate, and… She trailed off as Berrycloud spoke again.

"Hint two: she's a young 'un." Now it was Goldenfeather's turn to be sad; she had just passed the age limit of still being a young warrior. Who could this cat be?

Goldenfeather thought of the open possibilities as she slowly lifted her head from Pineclaw's shoulder and shifted her position again so she could see her Clanmates better.

But wait…there's only one she-cat in this Clan right now that's a young warrior still!

She just became a warrior, with her brother Frogheart! How could she be Clan leader when she hasn't even had an apprentice yet?

Berrycloud looked up to the clouds and yowled to the sky, "I hope you approve of this choice StarClan…Stormclaw is the new leader of MoonClan!"

Dancingpaw cheered, while there were murmurs of surprise followed by gasps and gapes.

"Wait, she hasn't had an apprentice yet!" Goldenfeather recognized the sharp voice of Rockfall; when she shuffled around to see him, the tomcat's sandy-gray fur was bristling with rage.

"Sure, she's young, but that's too young, having just become a warrior!" Dark gray Reedfoot cried, eyes fixed on his medicine cat in disbelief.

Of course, though, they were some supporters on Stormclaw's side.

Brambleheart and Rainstreak were also young cats still; a little bit older than Stormclaw but that didn't make anything different. After all, the only reason they were not included was because they weren't she-cats.

Goldenfeather smirked as she thought this, but she was also surprised that Reedfoot had said what he did because he was a father of four: adorable Eaglekit, Bluekit, Redkit, and Nightkit along with his beautiful mate Lilymoss. Yet, the two cats seemed to be drifting apart it seemed.

As Brambleheart and Rainstreak argued against Rockfall and Reedfoot, Stormclaw slowly padded out from the crowd on delicate paws.

"I-I don't know what to say," she whispered, green eyes looking hurt, confused, but also full of pride and surprise.

Goldenfeather honestly didn't know what to say either, and was also getting bored. She didn't know whose side she was on either, so for once forgetting about everything around her, the golden tabby drifted off to a heavy sleep.


End file.
